Practically Dragons
by Griffin Stone
Summary: (Rescue Riders-verse. Connected one-shots and mini arcs.) This is the story of how one young Swiftwing, his mom, and two humans became family. It all starts on one stormy night, when two Swiftwings take shelter in an abandoned Viking shipwreck...
1. Meeting the Twins: Discovery

**A/N: When I first posted _When a Human Catches the Dragon Flu_, I didn't expect anyone besides Prophe-Cass to know the show I was talking about. Well, not only did people know about _Rescue Riders,_ they wanted more! 0w0 You all made my day, and encouraged me to continue in this -verse.**

**Now, this story is to have a mix of one-shots told from the perspectives of various characters. (Dak and Leyla will get their turn, but not until they are older. I don't dare even try to write from a three/four-year old's perspective. If someone wants to have a go, have at it and just let me know when you post it!) My hope is to include many chapters of adventures between the twins and their dragon friends, but anyone who follows my stories know I can be a bit distracted. So, if this only turns out a few chapters long, please don't be disappointed.**

**Really, the only reason this is rated T is because I will eventually reach the point of what I think happened to Winger's mom. **

**Finally, I have a lot of theories involving Swiftwings and Winger's mom. Some could be null come a new season of RR, but we'll see. If there's something you think really won't line up with what canon has given us so far, please let me know!**

* * *

Glow loved flying in storms as much as the next Swiftwing, but she and her young son had been flying for some time now. She didn't dare to stop, but she was getting tired herself. She could only imagine how exhausted he was.

Spotting a broad sea stack below, Glow led the way into a small, sheltered section of the sea stack in the lee of the wind. Glow landed and scooped the small blue Swiftwing against her body, feeling him pant for breath and shake.

"How are you doing, Winger?" Glow asked.

Winger gave her a brave smile. "I'm fine, Mom. But how much further?"

"I don't know, son," Glow said sadly. She blinked away tears and nudged him. "Rest. We'll wait for the storm to slow, then continue."

"Mom?" Winger rose on his hind legs. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are we so far from the roost?"

Glow sniffed and looked away. Winger had always been so observant and curious. "Our nest… isn't safe anymore. We're heading out on our own. Like the stories I told you of when I was younger. We'll travel wherever we please.

Winger stared at her. "Is it because Dart and Windy went missing?"

"Yes, Winger." Glow hugged him closer, thinking of Winger's friends who had vanished the previous day.

"Is that why everyone was leaving the roost? But what if Dart and Windy come back? How will they find the flock?"

Glow closed her eyes, remembering the ships she'd seen on the horizon earlier that day. Winger was too young to know about the dangers of Hunters, but Glow had seen the havoc they could bring first-paw.

"Mom?"

Glow opened her eyes. Winger was sitting up again, gently pressing his paws around her scarred, blind right eye.

"Is your eye hurting you, Mom? Did you get something in it?"

"No, Winger," Glow told her son. "I'm just tired."

Winger looked at their meager shelter. "We can't rest here!" He pointed to Glow's hind paws, her claws digging into the stone to hold them both in place. "You'll slip when you fall asleep."

"I will be fine without sleep until we find a proper nest," Glow assured him.

"Let's keep going, then. I'll be fine, too," Winger said.

"Oh, Winger." Glow nudged him. "You need your rest."

"You, too," Winger insisted. "I can make it, Mom!"

Glow smiled gently. "I know you can, son. Alright, let's go."

Glow unfolded herself from the shelter, letting Winger take to the sky first. She followed close behind him, positioning herself to block Winger from the wind as much as she could.

"You'll see, Mom!" Winger called over the wind. "We'll find a new nest in no time!"

* * *

It was starting to get dark, and the two Swiftwings still hadn't found a new place for a nest. All Glow could see were sea stacks, and none had a cave big enough to be comfortable.

Glow shook her head and peered through the driving rain. Where were they? The storm must have blown her much further off course than she'd thought. There weren't any islands in sight!

Glow looked at Winger, drooping and shivering in her wake. He couldn't make it much further. She couldn't. They needed to stop… somewhere… Glow's eyes swept across the crashing sea once again, but there wasn't-

Wait!

Glow dropped lowered, and realized her eyes hadn't deceived her. A human ship was wedged in between two sea stacks, sitting precariously several lengths above the water. Had the waves thrown it there?

"Mom?" Winger asked tiredly.

"Stay close, son," Glow said. "I see shelter, but there may be someone else there."

Winger nodded and followed Glow to press against the lee side of one of the sea stacks. Glow scanned the ship, but nothing moved. For the ship to be in such an odd place, Glow doubted any humans would have stuck around, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Glow landed softly on the ship, making the wood floor creak. She wrinkled her muzzle. Humans were so weird, with their floating dens and strange language, but she wasn't going to pass up this shelter.

Glow sniffed around the ship, knowing there was usually a passage to lead inside the den. She growled in pleasure when she found the steep, dark passage. The walls had been broken in the wreck, making the entrance large enough for even Glow.

"Mom, what is this?" Winger asked. He tapped the ground, ears pricking up at the hollow thumping it produced.

"It's a human ship," Glow said. She stepped into the passage and listened.

"Aren't humans dangerous?"

"Some are. I've seen humans attack dragons, and some just ignore us. It's best to just leave them alone."

"So… why are we in their den?"

"Humans don't keep their dens on sea stacks. This one must have been thrown her by a storm." Glow nodded. "I don't hear any humans. This could be an old wreck, long abandoned."

"Cool!" Winger said, briefly forgetting his exhaustion.

Glow smiled at her son, then led the way down the passage. The passage abruptly ended, but it dropped into an open space. Between the lateness of the day and storm, Glow couldn't see much.

Glow closed her eyes and focused. A surge of power filled her chest, like when she formed a power blast. Instead of shooting a bolt of concentrated energy, she let it rush through her body. When she opened her eyes, the small den was illuminated by the blue glowing markings on her body.

Winger watched her with wide eyes. It would be years before he could form his markings, and he was always in awe by Glow's markings.

With the light, Glow scanned the den. It was small, but big enough for her. Human objects were flung against one wall of the den. Fish bones showed that the wreck had been there long enough for fish flung in by the waves to have rotted or been eaten by some other creature. Long enough for no humans to be around.

"Humans are messy," Winger said, wrinkling his muzzle against a rank odor.

"They are," Glow said with a chuckle. "But their den will do for us to rest in."

Glow chose a dry, empty corner near the exit and curled up. Winger squirmed under her jaw and sprawled out with a relieved sigh. He was asleep in seconds. Glow smiled at him and closed her eyes to follow suit.

_Thump_.

Glow's eyes shot open. Her markings, which had started to dim, flared back to life. Her good eye scanned the den for the cause of the noise.

"Who's there?" Glow asked, baring her teeth.

There was a hushed rush of voices that Glow didn't understand, then the pile of rubbish across the den shifted. Objects clattered to the floor, and a small creature tumbled out with a yelp.

Glow leaped to her paws, dropping Winger and startling him awake. She held back a growl, recognizing the creature to be too small to be a threat. Had a Nipper taken shelter in the den as well?

Glow walked toward the creature huddled and whimpering on the floor. She was nearly in reach, when there was an outraged yell from the rubbish. Glow jerked her head up as a second creature leaped out of the rubbish. It landed between Glow and the first creature, and batted Glow with soft paws.

Glow stared, then a rumbling chuckle escaped her.

"Mom?" Winger crept between her paws, then ducked away. "What is it?"

"Two humans," Glow said.

Winger cocked his head. "Kind of small, isn't it?"

"These are young ones, barely more than hatchlings." Glow lifted a paw to push away the human's small ones. "Come now, just calm down."

The small human -a male, Glow determined from his scent- gave an outraged shriek. He stumbled backward, tripping over the second young human, this one a female. The female whimpered, prompting the male to crouch over her.

"Do humans abandon their hatchlings?" Winger asked, wide-eyed.

"No." Glow scanned the den again, but it was long empty. "Perhaps the wreck scared the rest of the humans off."

The male screeched again, like a challenge. He narrowed his green eyes and bared his teeth, despite the strong scent of fear wafting off him.

"Ah, little human," Glow said, amused. "You can't fight me."

The male stood, giving Glow a good look at him. He was scrawny compared to most humans, with bright red-orange headfur and pale skin. His skins -humans always wore animal skins- were torn, dirty, and the source of the stink. He had a scabbed-over cut down the right side of his face.

The female whimpered again, louder. Glow looked down at her. The female was as filthy as the male, and had the same color of headfur. She was shaking from either cold or illness.

"I think they've been here a while," Glow realized aloud, looking again at the fish bones.

It was odd for such young humans to be alone. On a ship, no less. Most likely, the other humans weren't returning. Either the sea had taken them, or they really had abandoned the hatchlings.

While Glow was thinking, Winger crept out from under her. When the male human spotted him, he made another challenging noise.

Winger laughed. "He wants to fight, Mom."

"He's just frightened," Glow said.

"Why're they alone?" Winger asked, cocking his head to see the female.

"Probably lost," Glow responded.

"Are we going to take them home?"

Glow looked at her son, startled. "What?"

"You know, like the Spike-Flinger hatchling we found. Or when a whole flock of Fire-Furies got lost. We helped them," Winger said. "Are we going to help them?"

"Yes," Glow said, on instinct. She took a moment to think, then smiled gently. "Yes, we're going to help them."

"Yay!"

Winger's yell startled the male, who scrambled backward. He grabbed a loose piece of wood and held it in front of him as some form of weapon.

Glow shook her head. "We aren't going to hurt you."

Unfortunately, humans understood dragons as well as dragons understood humans. The little male continued to make threatening noises

"Aw, it's alright," Winger said, stepping forward.

"Winger, wa-"

_Whack!_

Glow winced as her son was smacked over the head with the wood. Winger sat down hard and blinked, dazed but unhurt.

"Come now, you little fighter," Glow said.

Glow swiftly leaned over the male and grabbed the back of his skins, since humans lacked a scruff. The male screeched and waved the wood until Glow swatted it out of his paws. She then scooped up the female with one paw and made her way back to the clear corner of the den. She sat down, placing both humans between her paws.

The male's furious shriek was cut off when Glow gave him a firm lick across the face. He blinked up at Glow, his face several shades lighter under the dirt. Glow licked him a couple more times, cleaning his hair and the cut, then moved onto his sister.

The male had settled under Glow's washing, but she could sense him tensing when she sniffed the female. They were probably siblings, Glow figured.

The female whined and curled into a tight ball. If she knew she was being held by a dragon, she wasn't afraid; she was hurting.

"Is she okay?" Winger asked, sitting beside Glow.

"I'm not sure yet. Here, watch her brother for me, could you?"

Glow moved the male to beside Winger. The male gave a protesting yelp, but didn't try to "attack" again. While Winger sniffed him over, the male closely watched Glow.

Using the tips of her claws and soft croons, Glow gently coaxed the female into relaxing enough to get cleaned herself. Glow found a few small scratches and bumps, same as the male, but nothing major. She sniffed the female over, and detected a sourness in the female's breath.

Glow looked at the fish remains, the broken passage, then at the small humans. Whatever storm had swept away the adult humans and trapped the ship, had prevented the human hatchlings from getting outside. They would have gotten hungry, and Glow wondered if they had eaten some bad fish.

"You'll be fine, little one," Glow said comfortingly.

The female's eyes opened. They were green like her brother's, and didn't hold a trace of fear. She stared up at Glow with open curiosity. She reached up with her paws and, when Glow lowered her head, gently pet Glow's muzzle.

"You're a little fighter, too. I can tell," Glow said. "Don't worry. You'll be well soon."

The female made a noise similar to Glow's, then rifled through her skins to pull out a small, human object. It had a hard wooden armor that the female peeled back. Inside were rectangular pieces of something thin and white, like a white leaf. Human scratchings filled some of the leaves.

The female flipped through the leaves until she found whatever she was looking for. Making an excited noise, the female turned the object to show a picture scratched onto a leaf. It looked… kind of… like a Swiftwing.

"Is that yours?" Glow asked, cocking her head.

The female said something in her language, hurried and excited. She waved a paw, probably to make a point, then broke off with a cough. Her muzzle twisted in a grimace, and she fell silent. She tucked the object away in her skins and curled around her stomach with a miserable grumble.

Glow flicked her tail over the female, who laughed and stroked the fins. With the female distracted, Glow looked at Winger and the young male.

The lateness and long flight was finally catching up to Winger. Even with the new and interesting human beside him, Winger's eyes were drifting shut. The young male, apparently seeing his sister was in no danger, leaned against Winger and wasn't much further from sleep.

Glow curled a paw around Winger and the male to pull them closer. The human grumbled sleepily, but tucked himself closer to Winger's warm body. Winger, giving a wide yawn, wrapped a paw around him.

Glow studied the young ones as they drifted to sleep. Once the storm ended and she got her bearings, it would be easy to locate a human nest to leave the human hatchlings. It would be significantly harder to safely land in the nest long enough to leave the hatchlings, and Glow didn't want to risk Winger to a human's anger. Did she dare leave him on the ship? No, it was close to toppling into the ocean as it was. She couldn't leave Winger on the sea stacks, either. He was too young to defend himself if something were to happen.

Glow thought through various plans for awhile, but she kept coming to the same conclusion. She'd have to find a safe place for Winger first. They needed a nest, then she'd bring the humans to their own nest.

Decision made, Glow curled around Winger and the humans to rest.

* * *

**A/N: Since these stories are told from a dragon's perspective for the most part, I use the dragon version of dragon breeds. A couple you'll see are:**

**Nipper: Terrible Terror**

**Spike-Flinger: Deadly Nadder**


	2. Meeting the Twins: Sickness

**A/N: Thank you, thank you to all you amazing, patient people! And my hugest apologies if you reviewed and I missed replying.**

**Special thanks to reviewers Oragonking and Sky Hooves! I found Oragonking's review in _When a Human Catches the Dragon Flu_**** last week when I was stuck in a bad writing slump. Between their review and their leading me to finding out about a new season of Rescue Riders, I got super motivated to write, and got most of this chapter written in one morning! And Sky Hooves let me talk out some of my ideas for this story, pointed out irregularities (I almost had the twins meeting Summer before learning to speak dragon, oops!), and made some great suggestions about "speech lessons" and how Glow would carry the twins. It's thanks to them that we get the scruffing. XD**

**A guest reviewer questioned why Glow didn't understand Human. That was something I couldn't sort out at first myself, but I had to admit that Glow instantly understanding Human didn't make sense. After all, Glow is set as a dragon who avoids humans if she can, so how would she have learned? I finally decided on this headcanon: dragons simply pick up new languages quite easily. How close they live to humans and how much they want to learn determines a dragon's understanding of Human.**

**Now, responses to Guest reviews!**

**Random Fan: The show is super cute, I can't fault you there. XD**

**Guest (1 and 2): See above. Additionally, I decided Aggro's been around Huttsgalor for, say, a year? At first, she hung out near the village, curious about humans and their language. Unfortunately, an encounter with an angry Viking (probably Magnus) made her wary of humans.**

**Guest (3): If nothing else, Rescue Riders if just flat-out adorable. XD**

* * *

Nudges to Winger's paws roused him. He grumbled sleepily, "Not now, Dart. Tired."

The nudges stopped, then was followed by the patter of tiny paws heading away. Winger ignored the sounds and tried to go back to sleep.

Tried.

An odd collection of sounds had his ear flaps twitching in annoyance. It sounded like rocks hitting one another and scraping against a tree trunk.

Finally, Winger couldn't take it any longer. "What are you-"

Winger opened his eyes, instantly remembering the previous day. Him and his mom leaving their safe roost, finding the human den and two little hatchlings.

One of the hatchlings was standing under the passage leading outside. He'd dragged pieces of wood and human junk under the opening.

While Winger blinked, the hatchling scrambled on top of the pile. He stared up, then jumped, forepaws reaching for the passage half a Swiftwing-length above his head.

Curiosity woke Winger up further. He yawned and stretched his legs and wings before plodding over to the hatchling and looking up.

It was daylight now, shining enough light into the human den that Glow's markings were no longer needed to see.

"Are you trying to get up?" Winger asked.

The hatchling yelped and jumped. After staring at Winger for a long time, he stomped and reached toward the daylight. Then, he turned and ran to grab something from the pile against the wall. He pulled and puffed, but couldn't move the circular object.

Winger followed the hatchling and studied the object. It was only slightly smaller than him, and much bigger than the hatchling. Winger pushed his paw against it experimentally, and it moved slightly.

The human made an excited noise and pointed from the object to the passage. Winger caught on quickly. Moving around the back of the object, Winger braced his paws and pushed with his head. The hatchling squeaked and ran to help.

The pair made short work of moving the object beside the pile. Winger moved the messy pile quietly, aware of the still-sleeping Glow and female hatchling, then pushed the human object so it stood right under the passage.

The male made a satisfied noise, then scrambled onto the top of the object. He reached up, but the bottom of the passage was out of reach. He bared his teeth and crouched, then leaped! His fingers brushed the passage, but he fell unsteadily back on the pile. Winger leaped forward and caught the human before he could hurt himself.

"Ya really 'an' 'o 'o ou'hide," Winger said through the human's scruff. "O'ay. 'ang on."

Winger crouched and leaped smoothly to the passage. The hatchling stopped squirming as Winger carried him into the open.

As soon as Winger set him down, the hatchling took off running. Winger blinked at the human's speed, starting to worry when he roared something in his language. Receiving no response, the hatchling darted to the other edge of the den and roared again.

This went on for awhile. Winger soon realized he was making the same two sounds over and over again.

"Are you calling for your flock?" Winger finally asked when the hatchling paused to pant.

The human made one of his cries, quietly this time. He sniffed, then tears tracked down his face. He bared his teeth and fiercely rubbed his eyes with a paw, then ran to search under pieces of wood scattered around, still making his quiet calls.

Winger's heart broke when the hatching's cries turned into whimpers. He dropped to the deck, face hidden in his paws.

"Hey," Winger said, curling himself around the hatchling. "It's alright. We'll find your flock, alright?"

Winger knew the hatchling couldn't understand him, but he must have at least understood Winger's tone. The hatchling leaned into him and rubbed his eyes.

"There we go," Winger said. He nudged the hatchling. "Are you hungry? I am. Come on… huh, we need something to call you."

The hatchling stared at him.

"My name's Winger," Winger said. He put a paw to his chest. "Wi-inger."

"Winger!"

Winger jumped at the sound of his name. He turned quickly to see Glow bound out of the passage. She stopped and relaxed when she saw Winger and the human.

"There you are." Glow rubbed her muzzle against Winger. "I woke up, and you were gone."

"Sorry, Mom. He wanted to look outside," Winger said. "I think he's looking for his flock."

Glow's eye went to the hatchling. "Oh, little one."

"If only he could tell us where they went," Winger mused.

"It's alright. Once we leave them at a human roost, they can tell the other humans where their family is," Glow said. "Now, come back below. His sister is awake."

Glow vanished down the passage, and Winger and the hatchling followed. Once they reached the end of the passage, the human pointed at the ground and said something to Winger. He cocked his head, making Winger laugh.

"Okay, one more time."

Winger grabbed the human's scruff and leaped to the ground. Once released, the male ran to the female. He was making a new noise over and over. Her name?

"Mom, what should we call them?" Winger asked.

Glow plopped to the ground and wrapped her paws around the humans, then answered, "They don't have a way to tell us their names, Winger."

"They need dragon names," Winger insisted.

Glow shook her head. "We'll be finding their flock soon. They will be fine without names until then."

"Do we have to send them away?" Winger asked.

Glow nodded. "Yes, son. Humans can't live with dragons. It simply isn't done."

"Why?"

Glow sighed and turned her head, hiding her scarred eye. Winger immediately regretted asking. His mom didn't really like to talk about humans. She never said why, but he thought it had something to do with why he'd never seen another Swiftwing.

Or his dad.

Winger searched for something to say, then the female hatchling made an odd noise. She sat quickly up and threw up all over the front of herself and Glow's paws. The male leaped backward with a sound of disgust. The stench of the den intensified.

Glow winced and carefully lifted a paw to shake it. "I was afraid of that." She nudged the sniffling female. "Hush, little one. It's alright."

"Mo-om," Winger said, tip-clawing forward. "What's wrong with her?"

"Too much bad fish." Glow licked the female, prompting the male to make his disgusted sound again. "Come, let's take them outside."

Glow carefully grabbed the female's scruff and stood. She climbed into the passage. The male, upon seeing his sister carried away, gave a loud cry and pressed his paws against Winger.

"Okay, okay," Winger said.

Winger repeated the process to get the male outside. The male hatchling patted Winger's muzzle once he was on his own paws, then rushed to where Glow was cleaning the female.

Winger followed. He sat and stared at the female writhing and groaning under Glow's gentle licks.

"Can I help?" Winger asked.

Glow looked up thoughtfully, then nodded. "See if you can find some clean water. After all the rain last night, there should be some collected somewhere."

Winger nodded, proud to help. He ran to the edge of the den and leaped into the air. He swung in a broad circle around the sea stack before moving onto the other sea stacks.

It didn't take long for Winger to find water collected in hollows in the stone. He flew quickly back to Glow to tell her the news.

"That's perfect," Glow said. "We'll get something to drink and eat, then we'll head out. The female needs other humans to help her."

Winger nodded as Glow stood, then cocked his head. "How will you carry them both?"

"Watch."

Glow nudged the male closer with her tail, then grabbed him by his scruff. She sat up on her haunches. The male squeaked upon finding his paws off the ground.

"Don't worry," Winger assured him. "Mom used to carry me like that, too. And she never dropped me!"

The hatchling said something, flapping his paws nervously. He stilled and looked up when laughter rumbled in Glow's throat.

"Ah ha' ya, 'itt' 'ne," Glow said through the male's scruff.

While the hatchling just mumbled under his breath, Glow angled her head and used her forepaws to carefully hold the female hatchling.

"O'ay," Glow said. "'ead 'ah 'ay."

Winger snickered and nodded. "This way, Mom!"

Winger leaped into the air. He couldn't help but watch his mom in concern, but she was able to lift off with no problem.

The male hatchling yelped and covered his eyes for a second, then peeked out. He laughed and spread out his forepaws as Glow flew slowly after Winger. The female said something excitedly, tiredly throwing out a paw as well.

The Swiftwings soon reached the sea stack with puddled water. Glow landed on her hind paws and set the male hatchling on his paws, then sat back with the female.

The male yelped and immediately ran to put his muzzle in the water. The female moaned and leaned against Glow. The male noticed a moment later, and spoke to his sister in encouraging croons. Eventually, the female crawled to the water and sat. Unlike her brother, she scooped water in her paws and lifted the water to her mouth.

Once the hatchlings were drinking, Winger and Glow went to another puddle and drank.

"Now for food," Glow said once they had drank their fill. "Stay with the humans, Winger. I'll be right back."

Winger nodded seriously and went to the humans. The male was exploring the sea stack, but the female just curled up on the ground.

Winger, wanting to comfort, curled his tail around the female like Glow had done. The hatchling murmured and squirmed closer. Winger froze when her damp skin touched his warm scales. She was so cold!

Winger focused on his inner fire. He couldn't shoot power blasts yet, but maybe he could make himself even a little warmer for the hatchling. The female murmured and tucked herself between his paws. Winger did his best to lay still and keep her warm. Before he knew it, he heard Glow's wingbeats.

"Mom," Winger said as soon as Glow landed. "Should humans be so cold?"

Glow dropped her mouthful of fish. She sniffed the female, eye ridges crinkling.

"No," Glow said softly. "We need to hurry and get them to a human nest. Here, little ones. Eat up."

The male looked at the fish Glow nudged his way, blinked, then stuck his tongue out.

"Maybe they can't chew fish yet," Winger suggested.

Glow tapped a claw against the stone. "Actually, I think it's something else. I've seen humans burn their fish before they eat it."

Winger's eyes widened. "Burn it?"

Glow rustled her wings. "Humans have an odd way of life, to be sure."

Winger thought of the floating den, and nodded.

Meanwhile, the male picked up a fish and held it hopefully up to Glow. Winger watched her take the fish and lay it on the ground. She shot a very small power blast, turning the fish a burnt black.

The hatchling squawked happily and picked up the fish. With his tongue poking out the corner of his muzzle, the male pulled away the burnt skin. Underneath, the fish was flaky and steaming. Squawking again, the male plopped down in front of his sister and held out the fish.

Winger watched hopefully as the female picked out a small piece of the fish. She started to put it to her mouth, then hesitated. She made that odd sound again, and Winger barely got his tail out of the way before she threw up again.

The male wailed and dropped the fish in favor of grabbing his sister in a hug. The female whimpered miserably and curled into his paws.

"Mom?" Winger looked at Glow. "What are we supposed to do?"

Glow sighed, releasing a thin stream of smoke. "We need to find a human nest. They'll know how to help her."

Winger tapped his tail impatiently. "Do you know where any are?"

Glow nodded slowly, then pointed her muzzle toward the sun. "That way, there is a large human nest."

"Then let's go!" Winger said, standing.

Glow nodded. "You can come most of the way, but you will have to hide out of reach of the village."

Winger drew himself up. "I can take care of myself!"

Glow nudged him. "I know. But humans are dangerous."

Winger nodded, worried by the intensity in his mom's eye. Luckily, the female hatchling moaned, drawing Glow's attention.

"Except for the little ones," Glow said with a soft smile. She picked up the pair, carrying them both in her paws this time. "Come, little ones. We're finding you a home."

* * *

Glow was relieved to find that the storm hadn't driven her and Winger too far off course. She'd been heading away from the human roosts, knowing there were large stretches of islands where she and Winger could live away from the humans. Their route took them near a human roost, but it was the only one within two day's flight.

It was a long flight to the human roost. More so because Glow could see how much Winger wanted the human hatchlings to stay.

Winger was a social young dragon. All Swiftwings were. He made friends quickly and didn't like to leave them. After leaving the Spike-Flinger flock, Glow knew he'd be looking for new friends. But why did it have to be a human?

The language barrier meant nothing to him, either. Winger still talked. The male hatchling seemed to understand his gestures well enough. Not far from the human roost, Winger was trying to teach the male some dragon words.

Glow squinted ahead and hugged the hatchlings closer. Even though she held the female close to her warm body, the hatchling had only grown colder and colder. Her whimpers, near constant at the start of the flight, had faded into silence.

Needless to say, it was a relief when Glow spotted the bolt-hole.

Generations ago, the bolt-hole had been a roosting spot for small flocks. But then humans had moved to an island nearby, so the spot was mostly abandoned. It was still suitable for resting for traveling dragons, and had a well-enough vantage point and escape hole that Winger couldn't be trapped while she was gone.

"Winger," Glow said, gently interrupting the… speech lessons? "You'll wait for me here."

Winger landed on the sea stack. "Will you be long?"

"I shouldn't be." Glow gestured with her head to the island on the horizon. "It isn't far from here. Keep a close eye out for dangers. If anything gets close, hide in the cave on the side. It has a tunnel that leads out underwater, in case anything gets too close."

Winger nodded seriously. "Be careful, Mom."

Glow dropped lower to rubbed muzzles with her son. "I will."

Glow wheeled and flew away. The male hatchling waved a paw and called what Glow suspected to be a human farewell. She glanced at the female.

All the female hatchling was doing was shiver. Several times during the day, Glow had thought she was going to throw up again, but nothing came out. Glow didn't understand. If the hatchling had already vomited the bad fish out, shouldn't she be getting better?

Glow shook her head. All the more reason to get the human to a roost.

Glow flew closer to the water. Since these humans were so cut off from the others, they spent little time on the water.

As she rounded the island, Glow noted the roost was much bigger than the last time she had seen it. Good. In a roost that size, there would surely be plenty of families willing to take in a pair of lost hatchlings.

Of… orphaned hatchlings.

Glow approached the forested side of the island, landing quietly out of sight of the village. She gently set down the hatchlings.

The male immediately hopped to his paws and looked around. The female barely moaned.

"Hurry now," Glow murmured to the male. "Follow me."

Scruffing the female, Glow tread quietly toward the sound of human voices The male, either understanding or just not wanting to be left behind, hurried along at her side.

When the trees started to thin, Glow froze. Her eyes tracked the human activity in the open. No weapons in sight, but Glow knew how quickly they could be retrieved.

Glow set the female down and looked at the male. "Go on now, little one."

The male blinked at Glow, then reached out his forepaws. One toward Glow, and the other toward the roost.

"No, little one," Glow said gently. "I can't follow you."

The male said something, then frowned. He pointed at his sister, who didn't move, then to the humans. He made a confused noise.

"I don't expect you to carry her," Glow said. "Get an adult here."

The male said something else. Glow glanced at the humans. Would they follow him to his sister? Would they believe a word he said? Or, worse, would the hatchling get confused as to where his sister had been left? He was so young and the humans would no doubt be in a frenzy when they saw a strange hatchling in their roost...

Glow sighed. "Okay. I'll move your sister closer. Come. But be _quiet_, for sky's sake."

Glow picked up the female, and snuck along the village edge until she found a quiet corner behind some nests. It would have to do.

Glow barely breathed as she crept into the open. As close to the human activity as she dared, Glow set the female down. She gave the hatchling a final lick, smiling when her eyes fluttered open.

"Be safe, little one," Glow whispered, then backed away.

The male yelped something and hugged Glow's leg. Glow chuckled. How had she grown so attached to the humans in so little time? Human hatchlings were so much more likeable than their grown selves.

A scream cut into Glow's musings.

Glow's eyes widened and she leaped away from the hatchlings. In her distraction, she'd turned her blind eye toward the roost, allowing a human to come into their quiet corner. Already, more humans spilled in beside her. The male hatchling bravely yelled and held up his paws.

"It's alright, little one," Glow said, slowly backing up. "It's time I left."

Already, weapons were being brandished in human paws. How _did_ they get those so fast? Then, a human ran forward with a flaming stick, and Glow knew she had to go _now._

Glow spread her wings. She looked at the hatchlings one last time and prepared to launch. By chance, she glanced at the human with the flaming stick. He wasn't pointing it at her, but… the hatchlings?

Now that Glow was looking, she realized only half the weapons were pointed at her. The other humans were threatening the hatchlings!

_No_. Glow shook her head. She must be mistaken. The humans were confused. Any moment now, they'd rush to "rescue" the hatchlings from her.

Then, a human threw a weapon. The sharp point sank into the ground right in front of the sprawled female. The male roared at the thrower, then had to duck another weapon.

_Nonono-_

"_Leave them alone!"_

Glow flinched at the roar from behind. A shadow swept over her, then a large brown Far-Seer dragon landed between the hatchlings and adults. The dragon roared again, causing the humans to stumble back. The brown dragon spun, gleaming-sharp tail sweeping a claw-length over the adult humans' heads.

"Get the boy!" the Far-Seer ordered. She scooped up the female hatchling, gentle despite the long claws on her paw. "We have to run!"

Glow didn't question the stranger. She scruffed the male and spun to follow the Far-Seer.

Before they even reached the woods, a second, male Far-Seer leaped from the trees. He roared furiously. Heat and light flashed from behind, and Glow heard the beginnings of pursuit scramble for cover.

The frantic sounds of the human roost were quickly left behind as Glow was led deeper into the forest. The strange Far-Seers weaved expertly through the brush, obviously very familiar with the terrain. As Glow stumbled over a bush for the dozeneth time, making the male hatchling squeak and curl his paws up, she wondered how the female stranger managed such a speed on three paws.

Finally, the group stopped. Panting, Glow set down the hatchling and looked around.

They'd descended into a valley, effectively hiding them from sight. The rock walls -scored by countless claws and dotted with caves- rose high above them. A thin stream trickled into a pond at the center.

"Thank you," Glow said, turning to her rescuers. "My name is Glow."

The two dragons before her were one-and-a-half times her size. Gleaming spikes adorned their heads, and ran down their back and tail. Their tails were tipped with a curved claw as long as Glow's foreleg. They were older than Glow, with chipped brown scales and scarred yellow underbellies. The male held one wing awkwardly, only half furled and dragging on the ground.

"I'm Moonclaw," said the female Far-Seer as she set the hatchling down. "This is my mate, Scratch. My sons are around here somewhere." Moonclaw looked around. "Slice! Cutter! It's safe to come out!"

Two young Far-Seers -only a few years younger than Winger- popped out of a cave. The larger of the two growled excitedly and raced to his parents. He snapped and pawed at his father's spikes while his brother trailed calmly behind.

"Cutter," Moonclaw said sternly. "We have visitors."

The excited brother rolled away from his father. He blinked and waved a stubby claw "Hi! I'm Cutter! This is Slice."

"Hello," Glow said with a smile.

Cutter's eyes found the human hatchlings. He leaped back, tail shooting straight up.

"Dad!" Cutter shrieked. "Humans!"

"Yes, Cutter," Scratch said calmly, his voice a deep rasp. "They are just hatchlings. They can't hurt you."

"I know," Cutter said quickly. "I was, uh… protecting Slice!"

Glow chuckled as the young dragons were herded away by Scratch, but quickly sobered. "I don't understand what happened. Why were they attacking the hatchlings?"

"They aren't from here, are they?" Moonclaw asked.

"I don't know. I found them on a wrecked den a half-day's flight from here," Glow explained. "It was only them."

"And you brought them here?" Moonclaw asked.

Glow bristled. "Where else could I bring them?"

"Calm yourself," Moonclaw said. "I understand your intent. But this land's humans are odd, even for humans. They think strange things. When they saw two strangers brought here by a dragon, they thought the hatchlings were demons."

Glow shook her head. "Humans… wait, how do you know what they thought?"

"They were screaming 'demons' as they threw their spears," Moonclaw explained, patiently standing still while the male poked her claws.

"You can understand them?"

"The human language is easy to learn, if you spend enough time around them," Moonclaw said simply.

"I'd rather not." Glow shuddered, then realized what she'd said. "I mean…"

Moonclaw chuckled drily. "I know. If we could, my family would leave as well. But my mate was injured in a storm three years ago. His wing never healed." Moonclaw waved a claw, changing the topic. "What is wrong with the girl?"

"I don't know," Glow said. "I thought she had just eaten some bad fish, but it's been over a day and she's thrown everything up."

Moonclaw leaned closer to the female. She sniffed the hatchling's muzzle, then leaned back with a scrunched muzzle.

"It's not bad fish. It was bad water," Moonclaw said.

"Bad water?"

Moonclaw nodded. "Humans can get sick if they drink bad water."  
Glow thought back to the hatchlings' den. What water they had would have quickly gone stagnant in the dark, damp den. "Is there an herb for this?"

Moonclaw rustled her wings. "No. Either the hatchling will survive, or she won't."

Glow felt an unexpected surge of protectiveness for the sick hatchling. Almost without thinking, she curled her paws around the female.

"I'll take her to another village," Glow said. "I'll be more careful about staying hidden."

Moonclaw shook her large head. "The closest human village is two days' flight. I doubt she could make it in her condition."

Glow looked down at her tiny charge. Determination filled her. "I'll take care of her until she's better, then."

Moonclaw turned, saying grimly, "You shouldn't have become attached. She'll be lucky if she lasts the night."

Glow scowled at the Far-Seer's back and said harshly, "When you speak like that, it sounds as though you wish I had left the hatchlings in the human roost."

Moonclaw paused. "No. If the hatchling isn't destined to live, it's better to spend her last night between the loving paws of a mother dragon, then cut down by the delusions of her own kind." She angled her head, brown eyes gleaming. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

Moonclaw slipped away before Glow could answer, leaving the Swiftwing gaping.

* * *

**A/N: I intended to have the rest of this mini-arc in this chapter, but then I hit 3,000 words and realized I wasn't even halfway done. So, there's one more chapter to the MtT mini-arc. I'm going to try and get it out before season two of Rescue Riders is released.**

**Which, by the way, will be on February 7th! **

**Cutter won't be playing a big role until much later. I just figured it would help later interactions if Cutter has met Winger, Dak, and Leyla earlier in the story. (Also, why he's called a Relentless Razorwing during the show timeline will be explained in the next chapter.) Along the same lines of "who meets who when," I've already had people asking if the Rescue Riders will meet the Dragon Riders. I do intend for them all to meet, but it won't be until two years after the Rescue Rider's show (and one year before HTTYD 3). So, it will be awhile before they all meet. **


End file.
